Fire-escape.



10.700543. T Patenteuua ,20,-19023 4.0. McCOMBlE.

FIRE ESCAPE.

(Application filed Oct. 18, 1901.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH O. MCCOMBIE, OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-' .THIRDS TO WILLIAM. S. JACOBS AND WILLARD E. ROBINSON, OF

MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS.

l. FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFiCATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 700,543, dated May 20, 1902.

Application filed October 18, 1901. Serial No. 79.070. (No model.) I 1 A To all-whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH O. MOCOMBIE, of

Maiden, in the county of Middlesex andState of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'Fire-Escapcs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a fire-escape comprising a ladder, preferably flexible and adapted to be folded, and a support adapted to be quickly and conveniently engaged with the wall of a building at the inner Side of a:

window-opening and to project through said opening, so that the ladder may be suspended from a point outside the opening. Thein-. vention has special reference to a ladder-s11 pporting means, and has for its object to provide an efiicient ladder Support or holder having provisions for swinging the ladder to one side of the window with which the support is connected, so that the ladder may be adjusted at one side to the lower window or windows from issuing. v

The invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a;

part of this specification, Figurel represents a vertical section of a portion of the wall of a building, showing an edge view of my improved ladder-support. Fig. 2 represents a front elevation showing the ladder support adjusted on extended to locate the ladder at one side of the window-opening. Fig. 3 represents a top view of the ladder-support.

The .same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the'fignres.

The support for the ladder which I have here shown comprises a bar it, preferably composed of a length-of metal tubing, arms h h, secured to the ends of the bar'and made" of sufficient length to extend through a window-openingfand engage the inner side of the Wall, the arms bearing on the Sill of a window-opening and supporting the bar It in a horizontal position outsidethe opening and at a suitable distance from the outerside of the wall, as indicated in Fig. 1. The inner ends of the arms h are provided with hooks k which may enter sockets formed for their which flame or smoke may be' reception in the wall belowth'e window-opening'.- The ladder supportingarm d, above referred to, is hinged at d'to the bar It, the

ends of the bar It, its arrangement being such that the arm (I may be swung horizontally and thus extended to one side of the windowopening, as shown in Fig. 2, the ladderengaged by its hooks c c with the armbeing thus located also at one side of the windowopening and out of line with the lower window or windows, so that a person descending the ladder will avoid smoke and flames that mayissue from such lower window's. arm at is provided between its hinged and swinging ends with a downwardly-projecting foot 01 which when the arm isextended, as shown in Fig. 2, bears'upona seat d formed to Support it on the bar h, said Seat and foot supporting the arm at a'point between its hinged and swinging ends, thus preventing itvfrom sagging unduly under the weight of the ladder. The seat d is shown injFig. 3 as provided with a locking-spring d having an orifice d adapted to engage the bottom portion of the foot d to lock said footto the 'seat 01 and prevent the arm (1 froinswingthe spring being required inorder to disengage it from the foot d wardly from the"swingingend'of the arm 01 .andis adaptedto be engaged with asocket f, formed in the end of the .bar' it opposite the end'having the seatd, so that whenthe arm is not extended, .but standswholly over the and prevent loose swinging movement of the. .7

1T0 enable a person to pass-readily from the window-opening to the ladder-when the'latter is adjusted at one side of the windowopening, as shown in Fig. 2, I suspend'fromi the said short ladder being-composed-of a suitable number of sections a a" and rungs b. It will be seen that the short ladder above reing, so that a person can first step upon it hinge being vertical and located betweenthe The bar h, the stud e and socket f will interlock ferred to is directly under the windoW-open-- ing loosely, a slight downward movement of e represents astud which projects downbar h a short ladder, which may be .ofthe same construction as that above described,

and then easily step across to the main ladder, supported by the arm (I. It is obvious that the short ladder may be of any suitable construction and may comprise one or more steps or rungs suitably supported upon the bar It.

I claim- 1. In a fire-escape, a ladder-support consisting of a bar having arms adapted to extend through awindow-opening in a buildingwall and formed to engage the inner side of the wall, the said arms supporting the bar in a horizontal position outside the windowopening, a ladder-engaging arm hinged at one end to said bar at a point between the ends of the latter and adapted to swing horizontally to one side of the window-opening to extend the arm and locate the ladder out of the line of a lower window or series of windows, and supporting members on the arm and bar, arranged to support the arm between its hinged and swinging ends when the arm is extended.

2. In a fire-escape, a ladder-support comprising a bar having arms adapted to extend through a window-opening in a building-wall and formed to engage the inner side of the wall and support the bar horizontally outside the opening and a ladder-engaging arm hinged at one end to the bar at a point between the ends of the latter and adapted to be extended by a horizontal swinging movement to one side of the window said arm having a downwardly-projecting toot between its hinged and swinging ends, while thebar has a seat which supports said foot when the arm is extended, said seat and foot having interlocking members which prevent the loose swing ing of the extended arm.

3. In a fire-escape, a ladder-support comprising a bar having arms adapted to extend through a window-opening in a building-wall and formed to engage the inner side of the wall and support the bar horizontally outside the opening,and aladder-engagingarm hinged at one end to the bar at a point between the ends of the latter and adapted to be extended by a horizontal swinging movement to one side of the window, said arm having a downwardly-projecting stud at its swinging end while the bar has a socket arranged to engage said stud when the arm is not extended.

4. In a fire-escape the combination of a ladder-support comprising a bar having arms adapted to extend through a window-opening in a building-wall and formed to engage the inner side of the wall and support the bar horizontally outside the opening, and a ladder-engaging arm hinged at one end to the bar at a point between the ends of the latter and adapted to be extended by a horizonal swinging movement to one side of the Window, a ladder suspended from said arm, and one or more ladder rungs or steps suspended from said bar, said rungs or steps enabling a person to reach the ladder on the extended arm substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH C. MOCQMBIE.

Witnesses:

WM. S. JACOBS, CHAS. E. WETTERGREEN. 

